3,439 New Cars Sold in Croatia in February, Down 4.2% Y-O-Y
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - A total of 3,439 new passenger cars were sold in Croatia in February 2021, 4.2% fewer than in the same month in 2020, according to the data released by the Promocija Plus market research agency on Friday.
In January 2021, 2,915 new cars were sold, a decrease of 19.7% compared with January 2020. The January drop affected cumulative data for the first two months of 2021, when a total of 6,345 vehicles were sold, or 12.95% fewer than in January-February 2020.
In the first two months of this year the best-selling car make was Volkswagen, with 1,187 units sold and a market share of 18.68%. The only other carmaker with a market share exceeding 10% was Škoda, with 823 cars sold in the January-February period and a market share of 12.95%.
Fiat was third with 482 cars sold, followed by Dacia and Hyundai, with 328 units sold each, and Renault with 327 vehicles sold.
In February alone, the most sought-after car model was the Škoda Octavia, with 227 units sold, ahead of the Fiat Panda (215), the VW T-Roc (150), the Dacia Duster (138) and the Hyundai Tucson (126).
In January and February, 3,271 petrol cars were sold, accounting for 51.5% of total sales, while diesel vehicles accounted for 31.3% with 1,986 units sold. Also sold were 830 hybrid cars (13.1%), 193 vehicles powered by natural gas (3%) and 74 electric cars (1.2%).
Interior Minister Božinović: More People Attended Bandić Funeral Than Restrictions Allow
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - Many more people than allowed under COVID measures gathered at Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić's funeral and it is up to civil protection inspectors to establish the circumstances and take action, the head of the national COVID response team said on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said the organisation of Wednesday's funeral was in the remit of the city civil protection authority, adding that "perhaps more people (came) than even the city authorities expected."
He said no incidents were reported to the police and that it was up to civil protection inspectors to establish the circumstances and take action if necessary, and if so, to do it "in the shortest time possible."
Asked if revoking the regulation under which only 25 people were allowed at funerals was being considered, Božinović said there were deviations from every restriction, in which case action was taken, including penalties.
He said the Civil Protection Directorate told him that no one had intervened yet to prevent more than 25 people from attending a funeral.
As for restricting the large night gatherings of young people in Zagreb, he said the civil protection, municipal services and the police cooperated in such cases and that a course of action was a matter of tactics.
The message is that people should refrain from such gatherings, which are one way in which coronavirus spreads, Božinović said, adding that bars with outdoor terraces were now open again and they could sit there.
He went on to say that 459 attempts had been made to enter Croatia with a false PCR test, most of them in Vukovar-Srijem County. He said this was punishable with up to three years in prison.
The director of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, Krunoslav Capak, said at the press conference that the rise in new infections was up 15.7% on a weekly basis and that positive tests were also up, today by 10.9%.
Speaking of the Russian COVID vaccine, he said the European Medicines Agency had begun to assess it and that intervention import was still an option for Croatia.
Capak said that persons who received both doses of a COVID vaccine need not self-isolate if they were in contact with an ill person. "As for a Croatian strain, there is no confirmation of it."
Health Minister Vili Beroš said at the press conference that the weekly rise in new infections and the presence of new variants of the virus were a reminder "that the response to the epidemic is far from over."
"We must keep working on increasing vaccine availability and consider the beginning of the assessment of the Russian vaccine. That paves the way for procuring one more vaccine in Croatia," he added.
Beroš said a high vaccination rate could ensure a successful summer tourist season, but added that personal responsibility remained paramount.
To date 46,635 people have registered for vaccination online and 3,596 by calling a toll-free number. Most of them are aged 39-54, so Beroš appealed to older citizens to register too.
Beroš also said that talks with representatives of wholesale drug suppliers would resume next week to see how to settle hospitals' and pharmacies' debts.
He also commented on a statement he made before Bandić's funeral, when he said "the virus is not a champion of the long jump." He said he was talking about a funeral at which COVID restrictions were complied with and that the media later used it in the context of Bandić's funeral. "That statement was not appropriate, but it was about another event."
The Croatian Bureau of Statistics: Value of Construction Work Done in 2020 Up 6.8%
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - The value of construction work done by companies with at least 20 employees in 2020 rose by 6.8% from 2019, while at the same time the value of new orders fell by 6.9%, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) said on Friday.
The value of construction work done last year was HRK 27.1 billion, of which HRK 19.1 billion worth of work was performed by companies' own workers and HRK 8 billion worth by subcontractors. The value of new orders was HRK 21.4 billion.
The structure of the work carried out by own workers shows that 30.8% of the work done related to non-residential buildings, 34% to transport infrastructure, 17% to pipelines, communication and energy lines, and 15% to residential buildings.
In the last quarter of 2020, the value of construction work was 3.7% higher than in the same period in 2019, while the value of new orders fell by 19.5%. The value of the work done in Q4 2020 totalled HRK 7.42 billion, of which HRK 5.24 billion accounted for the work done by own workers and HRK 2.17 billion for the work performed by subcontractors.
The value of new orders in the fourth quarter of last year was HRK 5.38 billion, of which HRK 2.47 billion accounted for buildings and HRK 2.84 billion for other structures.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)
Parliament Passes Amendments Granting Digital Nomads Right to Health Care
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - The Croatian parliament on Friday passed amendments under which digital nomads, that is, third-country nationals who use digital technology for work and have been granted temporary residence in the Republic of Croatia, have the right to health care.
The amendments to the Act on Mandatory Health Insurance and Health Care for Foreigners in the Republic of Croatia enable digital nomads to exercise the right to health care.
This applies to third-country nationals who are employed or doing work using communication technology for a company or their own company which is not registered in the Republic of Croatia and do not carry out work for or provide services to employers in Croatia, and who have been granted temporary residence in our country.
They will not be obliged to apply for compulsory health insurance, but then they will bear the costs of using health care in health insitutions, private practices or other health care providers.
Amendments to the Islands Act, which transpose the government's decree on subsidising water for human consumption per islander, have been sent to second parliamentary reading.
In addition, several agricultural laws, on food control, veterinary medicine, breeding of domestic animals, have been sent to second reading.
The parliament has also adopted several reports for 2019 -- on state budget execution, on the implementation of official development assistance to foreign countries, and on the effects of the implementation of the Islands Act.
Bomb Threat: Sisak School, Former President's Apartment Menaced in Same Day
March 5, 2021 - Two regions of Croatia today were menaced by a bomb threat. The Zagreb apartment block of former president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and a school in Sisak, to which an explosive was allegedly brought
As Index reports, today in the centre of Zagreb, in the building where former President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović lives, there was a dramatic intervention by special services. Shortly before noon, police received a report about a woman who locked herself in an apartment in Antun Bauer Street. She threatened to injure herself. She posted notes in her window on which it was written "there are bombs in the apartments".
Bomb threat in Zagreb Emica Elvedji PIXSELL
Police officers, firefighters, and an ambulance immediately went to the scene, as well as members of the Interior Ministry's anti-terrorist unit from Lučko. The tense situation lasted for about 45 minutes, after which special forces broke into the building and took the woman away.
Unofficial information says that the woman is a mentally unstable person. She was taken away by ambulance. As 24sata has learned, the former president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was not in the building at the time of the drama, nor were members of her family.
Bomb threat in Zagreb Emica Elvedji PIXSELL
In the same street, more precisely, at the next entrance, lives the politician Vladimir Šeks, the former president of the Croatian Parliament, who was shocked by the news. He also was not at home at the time of the event. A police investigation is currently underway.
Drama at a school in Sisasak, to which a young man claimed to have brought an explosive Slaven Branislav Babic PIXSELL
At around the same time in the city of Sisak, a young man entered the Sisak Vocational High School building and also issued a bomb threat. Croatian media have reported the young man is the son of a deceased war veteran. The young man is said to have been looking for the HDZ prefect of Sisak-Moslavina County, Ivo Žinić. County administration employees were moved to the building of the Sisak High School after the earthquake, where they were today - together with about 200 students and professors. All had to be evacuated immediately. Prefect Ivo Žinić was not in the school building at the time of the bomb threat.
Police went to the scene and surrounded the school. The young man who claimed to have an explosive was alone in the school premises for half an hour, after which time he turned himself in to police. Večernji list reports that the young man walked out of the school building, was immediately overpowered by the police and then placed in a police van to be taken away. A criminal investigation has begun.
While in the school building, the young man also sent his photo to the media, angrily commenting about how "the county is occupied." Meanwhile, police employed the help of two of his friends in order to try and calm him and negotiate with them.
Defense Minister Tomo Medved came to the scene, so too a professional negotiator from the anti-terrorist unit Lučko. Medved said the young man had not stated any demands or motives. The Vocational High School in Sisak director, Ivica Beloglavec, told local media the school would not reopen in the afternoon because of the incident.
As Večernji list unofficially finds out, the attacker is a resident of Sisak who was active in distributing humanitarian aid in the earthquake-affected areas. He is said to have displayed angry annoyance on social media, only to decide to act on it today. However, his full motives are still unknown.
Fortunately, none of the county administration and school staff were injured, nor were the students. What made this young man from Sisak initiate this act will hopefully become known when the police investigation is over. The first statement of Sisak-Moslavina police in regards to the incident is pending.
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The Croatian Bureau of Statistics Proposes Postponing Census Until September
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - The Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) has put its proposal to amend the Census Act to public consultation until 12 March, under which this year's census would be held from 13 September to 17 October.
Under the existing law, the census was to be conducted from 1 April to 7 May, but was postponed until June because of the coronavirus pandemic and last year's earthquakes. It has now been further postponed until September, with the DZS recommending that it be conducted from 13 September to 17 October based on the situation as at 31 August at midnight.
The census would be conducted in two phases. The first phase would take place from 13 to 26 September, when citizens would fill in the census form online using the e-Citizens application, while the second phase would be held from 27 September to 17 October and would include personal interviews by census-takers.
The previous census was taken in 2011.
Škoro Confirms His Plan to Run For Zagreb Mayor
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - The opposition Homeland Movement party on Friday confirmed that its leader Miroslav Škoro would be running for the post of Zagreb Mayor in local elections set for May this year.
Škoro won 465,704 votes in the 2019 presidential election and under his leadership the Homeland Movement won 16 seats in the 2020 parliamentary election, the party recalled.
Škoro will present his candidacy for Zagreb Mayor on Saturday, 6 March.
Valamar 'Pause, Restart' Program Returns to Preserve Jobs until 2022
March 5, 2021 - Valamar Riviera's social partners, led by the Croatian Trade Union of Tourism and Services and the Trade Union of Istria, Kvarner, and Dalmatia, supported the continuation of the Valamar 'Pause, Restart' program to preserve jobs in the coming year.
T.portal reports that the 'Pause, Restart' program has been in force since March last year with the support of social partners, Valamar employees, and government measures. The new agreement was signed for one year and will be in effect from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022.
The 'Pause, Restart' program provides compensation in the amount of 60% of the regular income, i.e., a minimum of HRK 4,250 net for all Valamar employees who are on hold due to business restrictions during the pandemic and are relying on the current Government measures. Valamar pays regular full salaries to other employees.
The 'Pause, Restart' program applies equally to employees and management. Each month, depending on the employment opportunities, employees who will go to work and those who will receive compensation when waiting for work are determined.
"Government support measures have been key to preserving jobs in tourism until the 2021 season. Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to affect the impossibility of normal business in tourism. It is already very likely that the continuation of support measures will be important for April and May this year, given that higher turnover in tourism can be expected only from June. Also, the continuation of the program aims to preserve jobs until the 2022 season, when business normalization is expected," the statement said.
"We are glad that our social partners have continued to support Valamar's "Pause, Restart" program because we all have a common goal, which is certainly to preserve jobs. Valamar is working intensively on preparations for the opening of the season and in 2021 guarantees a minimum net income of HRK 5,000 as well as the continuation of the year-round income program for permanent seasonal workers. Given the planned opening of most Valamar hotels, resorts, and camping resorts by mid-May, seasonal employees at Valamar can expect between 3 and 6 months of work in the 2021 season. We all hope for the normalization of business as soon as possible and a more successful season than last year," said Ines Damjanić Šturman, director of the human resources sector at Valamar Riviera.
"We are facing the 2021 tourist season, which, unfortunately, brings far more challenges than the previous 2020. STUH is aware that the tourist season in 2021 will not get results that provide liquidity to our companies while retaining the existing number of employees until next season, so I propose to the Government of the Republic of Croatia that in addition to aid in March and April, they should support tourism and hospitality in the 2022 autumn and winter tourist season," said Eduard Andrić, President of the Trade Union of Tourism and Services of Croatia.
Last year, Valamar opened 24 hotels and resorts and all 15 camping resorts with more than 4,400 employees. In 2020, almost 300,000 guests stayed at Valamar, and no COVID-19 cases were recorded, which confirms that tourist facilities achieve a high level of safety for guests, the statement concluded.
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HDZ Mayoral Candidate Says voters Will Recognise His Model of Running Zagreb
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - The ruling HDZ party's candidate for Zagreb Mayor, Davor Filipović, said on Thursday he was confident of his victory in the May local election because his model of running the city was based on responsible financial operations, transparent post-earthquake reconstruction and capital projects.
"I enjoy the strong support of the HDZ branch in Zagreb, (HDZ) president (Andrej) Plenković and the entire HDZ," Filipović said after a session of the party branch on Thursday evening.
Plenković, too, attended the session and the subsequent news conference but did not make any statements.
"All of the recent attacks against me are due to my political rivals being very nervous. I am confident that the new model of governance that I will offer, which puts emphasis on responsible financial operations, transparent reconstruction and capital projects, will be recognised by voters and that I will be elected mayor in May," said Filipović, adding that he would present the key elements of his platform in the next few weeks.
He went on to say that all information on how city budget funds are spent would be made available on the city administration's website, that the process of post-earthquake reconstruction would be fully transparent, and that heads of city departments and directors of city-owned companies would have to make their declarations of assets public.
Filipović also said that "all members of the Opposition" would be included in the supervision of public tenders for major projects.
Škoro will go down in history as the bravest Croatian politician
Commenting on reports that Homeland Movement leader Miroslav Škoro would run for Zagreb Mayor, Filipović said that "Škoro will go down in history as the bravest politician in our country."
"After summoning courage for months to announce his candidacy, it was only (on Wednesday), after he saw for himself that the late mayor Milan Bandić was buried, that he did so," said Filipović.
"Škoro is also known for having run stalls at Zagreb Advent, and we all know what one had to do to be allowed to operate stalls at the Christmas market. Having one stall is evidently not enough any more, one needs to run five, six or ten stalls. Zagreb residents know who charged the most expensive parking tickets by a hospital," Filipović said, an allusion to Škoro's having had a stake in a company operating a parking lot by Zagreb's Merkur hospital, which he eventually sold.
Croatia Disbursed €63.60 Million in Development Aid in 2019
ZAGREB, 5 March, 2021 - In 2019 Croatia disbursed HRK 480.84 million (€63.60 million) in development aid, 6% more than the year before, with Bosnia and Herzegovina being the leading recipient.
The State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Zdenko Lucić, on Thursday presented in the parliament a report on Croatia's development aid in 2019, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry said in a press release.
The HRK 480.84 million disbursed as development aid accounts for 0.13% of Croatia's GDP.
Most of the funds were the country's contribution to the EU general budget in the part recognised as development aid, and its mandatory contribution to the European Development Fund in the amount of HRK 73.5 million for 2019.
A total of HRK 130.81 million or 27.27% of the total amount was disbursed for bilateral programmes and development aid projects, with 449 projects having been implemented.
In neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, 199 projects worth HRK 89.06 million were implemented, which makes the country the leading recipient of bilateral development aid.
Apart from Bosnia and Herzegovina, priority geographical areas were Ukraine and Jordan. Croatia supported the European Investment Bank's initiative for economic resilience for countries located on migratory routes, as well as the EU mechanism for refugees in Turkey.
In 2019 Croatia also helped Yemen, Iran, Mozambique and the earthquake-hit Albania, the Ministry said.
